In recent years, a so-called audio reproduction device for a DJ, which is capable of reproducing a sound by variably controlling a reading speed of digital audio data, i.e., by a so-called scratching, has been used. Generally, the audio reproduction device for a DJ (patent document 1, for example) temporarily stores music data read from a storage medium in a RAM having a high-speed access performance, and reads the music data stored in the RAM in accordance with a variable speed operation performed by a user so as to reproduce a sound, thereby making it possible to rapidly change a reproduction speed.
In such an audio reproduction device for a DJ, as well as a change in the reproduction speed, a sound is required to be immediately reproduced from an arbitrary reproduction start point. When the sound starts to be reproduced, an overhead such as a reading time of data is generated. Therefore, in order to immediately response to a request for reproducing data, music data corresponding to several seconds starting from a point at which recorded data may start to be reproduced is temporarily stored in a memory of the RAM, and while the recorded data stored in the memory (RAM) is being reproduced, subsequent music data is read from the storage medium, and stored in the memory thereof.
[patent document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-86446